Saturday's letters: Voter registration

Published: Saturday, November 10, 2012 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, November 9, 2012 at 5:00 p.m.

To the editor: I am very disappointed in the North Carolina requirements for registering to vote and the actual process of voting.

I was a resident in the United States for many years, but early in 2011 I decided to become a U.S. citizen. On Oct. 12, 2011, I was sworn in, and one of my first missions was to get registered so I could vote in the 2012 elections.

I went to the Henderson County Election Board and proudly presented them my form all filled out. I had my citizenship certificate and other pieces of identification with me. To my surprise, the young lady just looked at my form and informed me that I would hear from them in about three weeks. I asked if she needed to see my proof of citizenship but she said that was not necessary.

Needless to say, I was very upset after spending a considerable amount of money and time to become a citizen and yet no one seemed to care when it came to the most important process of voting. What is wrong with this picture? I need proper identification to see my doctor or conduct business at my bank … but not to vote.

Maria P. Hetzel

Laurel Park

Not his fault

To the editor: Just recently, a local nursery, selling trees and shrubbery, closed. I assume from a lack of customers. A prominently displayed sign on the property reads: “We built it, Obama killed it.”

The nursery’s location was two streets from a main thoroughfare, not at all visible to motorists who might have learned of its existence and perhaps have stopped. Barack Obama did not select the nursery’s location.

I purchased an azalea at the nursery for $12.95. It was in a pot marked “Encore.” Later, I saw the same plant with the same pot marking at Lowe’s and A Growing Concern for $9.95. Obama did not price the plant.

Is Obama to be blamed for the nursery’s closing?

Arthur Wayboer

Flat Rock

Overreaction

To the editor: Go to the courthouse only if you absolutely have to. Sheriff Charles McDonald’s security plan is absolutely stupid. We, the taxpayers, pay for a beautiful new building, and now we have to enter through a narrow basement hallway and go through an empty-your-pockets search and a metal detector with old geezers looking you over, with fingers on the trigger. I can say this since I’m an old geezer myself.

My, what a pleasant experience! Why the overreaction?

On Aug. 28, two women got into a fight outside the courthouse, and one got stabbed in the face. Was this in the courthouse? No! Will this security keep fights between idiots from happening in the parking lot? No! So one incident outside the courthouse jogged the sheriff into action, and he installs security on the main floor on Sept. 5, not just the court area as before. This evidently was not disruptive enough for courthouse business, so he decided to run everyone through the basement gantlet on Sept. 14.

Planners did a good job on the courthouse. Unfortunately, they didn’t anticipate a law enforcement mentality that would run the taxpaying folks and others through the “dungeon.”

E. Ingle

Mills River

Poor treatment

To the editor: When my son was in the Boy Scouts in the 1970s, he had a Scoutmaster who was considered the best in the area. It was not until after he graduated that I was told the Scoutmaster had approached him. Fortunately, he was old enough and able to protect himself, but I often thought about the younger boys in the troop.

However, when the Scouts instituted a policy of refusing to accept homosexual Scoutmasters and members, the liberals and gay rights groups raised a real ruckus. The Scouts took a lot of flak over that, and now they’re taking a lot of flak again because they had problems in the past with homosexual Scoutmasters.

When will folks learn that you can’t have it both ways? Either they are allowed to protect the children or they have to abide by rules of having gays in their ranks. The Girl Scouts will probably get the same kind of flak.

Both of these organizations have done more for the youths of this country than any other group and don’t deserve the treatment they’ve gotten from the press and the liberals.

<p>To the editor: I am very disappointed in the North Carolina requirements for registering to vote and the actual process of voting.</p><p>I was a resident in the United States for many years, but early in 2011 I decided to become a U.S. citizen. On Oct. 12, 2011, I was sworn in, and one of my first missions was to get registered so I could vote in the 2012 elections.</p><p>I went to the Henderson County Election Board and proudly presented them my form all filled out. I had my citizenship certificate and other pieces of identification with me. To my surprise, the young lady just looked at my form and informed me that I would hear from them in about three weeks. I asked if she needed to see my proof of citizenship but she said that was not necessary.</p><p>Needless to say, I was very upset after spending a considerable amount of money and time to become a citizen and yet no one seemed to care when it came to the most important process of voting. What is wrong with this picture? I need proper identification to see my doctor or conduct business at my bank but not to vote.</p><p><em>Maria P. Hetzel</em></p><p><em>Laurel Park</em></p><h3>Not his fault</h3>
<p>To the editor: Just recently, a local nursery, selling trees and shrubbery, closed. I assume from a lack of customers. A prominently displayed sign on the property reads: We built it, Obama killed it.</p><p>The nursery’s location was two streets from a main thoroughfare, not at all visible to motorists who might have learned of its existence and perhaps have stopped. Barack Obama did not select the nursery’s location.</p><p>I purchased an azalea at the nursery for $12.95. It was in a pot marked Encore. Later, I saw the same plant with the same pot marking at Lowe’s and A Growing Concern for $9.95. Obama did not price the plant.</p><p>Is Obama to be blamed for the nursery’s closing?</p><p><em>Arthur Wayboer</em></p><p><em>Flat Rock</em></p><h3>Overreaction</h3>
<p>To the editor: Go to the courthouse only if you absolutely have to. Sheriff Charles McDonald’s security plan is absolutely stupid. We, the taxpayers, pay for a beautiful new building, and now we have to enter through a narrow basement hallway and go through an empty-your-pockets search and a metal detector with old geezers looking you over, with fingers on the trigger. I can say this since I’m an old geezer myself.</p><p>My, what a pleasant experience! Why the overreaction?</p><p>On Aug. 28, two women got into a fight outside the courthouse, and one got stabbed in the face. Was this in the courthouse? No! Will this security keep fights between idiots from happening in the parking lot? No! So one incident outside the courthouse jogged the sheriff into action, and he installs security on the main floor on Sept. 5, not just the court area as before. This evidently was not disruptive enough for courthouse business, so he decided to run everyone through the basement gantlet on Sept. 14.</p><p>Planners did a good job on the courthouse. Unfortunately, they didn’t anticipate a law enforcement mentality that would run the taxpaying folks and others through the dungeon.</p><p><em>E. Ingle</em></p><p><em>Mills River</em></p><h3>Poor treatment</h3>
<p>To the editor: When my son was in the Boy Scouts in the 1970s, he had a Scoutmaster who was considered the best in the area. It was not until after he graduated that I was told the Scoutmaster had approached him. Fortunately, he was old enough and able to protect himself, but I often thought about the younger boys in the troop.</p><p>However, when the Scouts instituted a policy of refusing to accept homosexual Scoutmasters and members, the liberals and gay rights groups raised a real ruckus. The Scouts took a lot of flak over that, and now they’re taking a lot of flak again because they had problems in the past with homosexual Scoutmasters.</p><p>When will folks learn that you can’t have it both ways? Either they are allowed to protect the children or they have to abide by rules of having gays in their ranks. The Girl Scouts will probably get the same kind of flak.</p><p>Both of these organizations have done more for the youths of this country than any other group and don’t deserve the treatment they’ve gotten from the press and the liberals.</p><p><em>Sibyl Lange</em></p><p><em>Hendersonville</em></p>